UF women's hoops opens tourney with rout

Florida forward Jennifer George scrambles for a loose ball with Savannah State guard Andrietta Thomas during the Gator Holiday Classic at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Thursday. Florida defeated Savannah State 88-38.

Matt Stamey/Staff photographer

By Jim HarvinCorrespondent

Published: Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 21, 2012 at 2:43 a.m.

Prior to the start of Thursday's game between Florida and Savannah State, UF senior Jennifer George was honored for recently becoming the 21st player in program history to reach the 1,000-point career scoring plateau.

The Naismith Player of the Year candidate responded by posting her fourth straight double-double and 23rd of her career with a 14-point, 11-rebound effort as UF (9-3) won its fourth straight game with an 88-38 rout of Savannah State to close out the opening day of the 22nd Annual Gator Holiday Classic before a crowd of 650 in the O'Connell Center.

The win sets up a tournament title showdown tonight between Florida and Central Michigan (5-4), a 98-84 winner over St. Joseph's in Thursday's opener.

“It meant a lot to be doing it here at home in front of all the fans who watch me,” said George of the ceremony. “It kind of got me emotional a little bit. It was just really nice.”

George hit 7-of-9 shots from the field en route to scoring in double digits for the 50th time in her career.

She got plenty of help as the Gators placed five players in double figures led by a game-high 17 points from freshman Sydney Moss. Fellow true freshmen January Miller (15 points) and Christin Mercer (14 points) and redshirt junior Lily Svete (15 points) all posted career-highs and junior center Vicky McIntyre added seven points and 10 rebounds as the Gators posted their most lopsided win under head coach Amanda Butler since a 57-point decision of Alabama State (95-38) on Dec. 20, 2010.

It was a long night for Savannah State (5-7), which lost leading scorer Ezinne Kalu to an apparent knee injury with 16:30 left to play in the first half. Kalu, who came in averaging 14.6 points a game, landed awkwardly after a shot under the basket.

“I think it was a really good win for us,” Butler said. “Obviously Savannah State struggled without their leading scorer, but again I think our team took advantage of opportunities really well. I hope for her sake that she's OK. You hate to see anybody go down like that, no matter whose team they're on.”

Florida roared out to 14-1 advantage and never looked back, taking a 37-13 halftime lead. The 13 first-half points by the Tigers, who shot just 28.8 percent from the field in the loss, was a season-low for a UF opponent and tied for the fifth-fewest allowed in program history.

Florida, meanwhile, finished the game 35-of-74 (47.3 percent) from the field including 40 percent (10-of-25) from 3-point range, with Svete connecting on 5-of-10 and Miller on 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

“Coach has been talking to me the last few weeks about me looking for my shot when I catch the ball,” said Svete, who at one point hit three straight treys in a span of 1:17 in the second half.

“Tonight I did that, and my teammates did a great job of finding me.”

Central Michigan used some torrid outside shooting and balanced scoring of its own to defeat St. Joseph's in the opener. The Chippewas converted 10-of-17 attempts (58.8 percent) from 3-point range and placed six players in double digits led by senior guard Brandie Baker with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. Fellow seniors Jessica Schroll and Jalisa Olive added 15 and 14 points, respectively.

St. Joseph's (5-4) was led by 6-foot-3 redshirt senior Chatilla van Grinsven's game-high 18 points and 17 points from junior guard Erin Shields. Van Grinsven just missed a double-double for the Hawks, finishing with a team-high nine rebounds.

The tournament wraps up today with St. Joseph's meeting Savannah State in the consolation game at 4:30 p.m., followed by Florida and Central Michigan at 7.

“We're going to have to play our best basketball,” Butler said. “This is going to be our biggest test at home yet.”

<p>Prior to the start of Thursday's game between Florida and Savannah State, UF senior Jennifer George was honored for recently becoming the 21st player in program history to reach the 1,000-point career scoring plateau.</p><p>The Naismith Player of the Year candidate responded by posting her fourth straight double-double and 23rd of her career with a 14-point, 11-rebound effort as UF (9-3) won its fourth straight game with an 88-38 rout of Savannah State to close out the opening day of the 22nd Annual Gator Holiday Classic before a crowd of 650 in the O'Connell Center.</p><p>The win sets up a tournament title showdown tonight between Florida and Central Michigan (5-4), a 98-84 winner over St. Joseph's in Thursday's opener.</p><p>“It meant a lot to be doing it here at home in front of all the fans who watch me,” said George of the ceremony. “It kind of got me emotional a little bit. It was just really nice.”</p><p>George hit 7-of-9 shots from the field en route to scoring in double digits for the 50th time in her career.</p><p>She got plenty of help as the Gators placed five players in double figures led by a game-high 17 points from freshman Sydney Moss. Fellow true freshmen January Miller (15 points) and Christin Mercer (14 points) and redshirt junior Lily Svete (15 points) all posted career-highs and junior center Vicky McIntyre added seven points and 10 rebounds as the Gators posted their most lopsided win under head coach Amanda Butler since a 57-point decision of Alabama State (95-38) on Dec. 20, 2010.</p><p>It was a long night for Savannah State (5-7), which lost leading scorer Ezinne Kalu to an apparent knee injury with 16:30 left to play in the first half. Kalu, who came in averaging 14.6 points a game, landed awkwardly after a shot under the basket.</p><p>“I think it was a really good win for us,” Butler said. “Obviously Savannah State struggled without their leading scorer, but again I think our team took advantage of opportunities really well. I hope for her sake that she's OK. You hate to see anybody go down like that, no matter whose team they're on.”</p><p>Florida roared out to 14-1 advantage and never looked back, taking a 37-13 halftime lead. The 13 first-half points by the Tigers, who shot just 28.8 percent from the field in the loss, was a season-low for a UF opponent and tied for the fifth-fewest allowed in program history.</p><p>Florida, meanwhile, finished the game 35-of-74 (47.3 percent) from the field including 40 percent (10-of-25) from 3-point range, with Svete connecting on 5-of-10 and Miller on 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.</p><p>“Coach has been talking to me the last few weeks about me looking for my shot when I catch the ball,” said Svete, who at one point hit three straight treys in a span of 1:17 in the second half.</p><p>“Tonight I did that, and my teammates did a great job of finding me.”</p><p>Central Michigan used some torrid outside shooting and balanced scoring of its own to defeat St. Joseph's in the opener. The Chippewas converted 10-of-17 attempts (58.8 percent) from 3-point range and placed six players in double digits led by senior guard Brandie Baker with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. Fellow seniors Jessica Schroll and Jalisa Olive added 15 and 14 points, respectively.</p><p>St. Joseph's (5-4) was led by 6-foot-3 redshirt senior Chatilla van Grinsven's game-high 18 points and 17 points from junior guard Erin Shields. Van Grinsven just missed a double-double for the Hawks, finishing with a team-high nine rebounds.</p><p>The tournament wraps up today with St. Joseph's meeting Savannah State in the consolation game at 4:30 p.m., followed by Florida and Central Michigan at 7.</p><p>“We're going to have to play our best basketball,” Butler said. “This is going to be our biggest test at home yet.”</p>